Ranking the Top Candidates for the 2015-16 Selke Trophy

Each season, the NHL awards the Frank J. Selke Trophy to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.

The award was first handed out at the end of the 1977-78 season, with Montreal Canadiens left wing Bob Gainey named the winner for four consecutive years. No once since has won it as often, though active players Pavel Datsyuk and Patrice Bergeron each has three Selkes on his trophy shelf.

The winner of the award is determined through a vote by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, who rank their top five candidates in order. In recent years, their preference has been to honour top centers with Stanley Cup success who can put up points, match up well against opponents' top lines, win key faceoffs and successfully kill penalties.

Only a small group of players can do all of those things at an elite level, so the names that come up for Selke consideration haven't been changing much from year to year.

A few fresh faces, including one excellent winger, have made some noise as possible Selke candidates this season. Click through to take a look. Do you think a new face will take home the trophy at the NHL Awards next June?

8. Derick Brassard: New York Rangers

Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images

Pedigree: Center Derick Brassard was drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2006. He joined the New York Rangers at the 2013 trade deadline as part of the package exchanged for Marian Gaborik.

Brassard has not yet received any Selke acknowledgement in his career.

His Season so Far: The New York Rangers are in the hunt to defend their 2014-15 Presidents' Trophy thanks to outstanding play at both ends of the ice. Brassard has improved every facet of his game since he arrived on Broadway.

After recording a career-high 60 points last season, he's on a similar scoring pace this year while also logging a solid plus-10 and a 55.2 percent success rate in the faceoff circle, well above his career average of 47.4 percent.

There is one gap in Brassard's Selke resume: He doesn't kill penalties. That's Dominic Moore's department.

Where He Stands: It's time for a player on the NHL's stingiest team to be recognized as one of the game's top defensive forwards. The New York Rangers' league-lowest 34 goals against hasn't strictly been the product of a strong blue-line group and Henrik Lundqvist's perpetual excellence.

If Brassard can maintain his strong early-season numbers, he deserves to be in the Selke conversation.

7. David Backes: St. Louis Blues

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Pedigree: Center David Backes was drafted 62nd overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2003. He was named captain of the Blues in 2011.

Backes has never won an NHL award but has received Selke votes in the last six seasons and has finished in the top five for the past four seasons. He was runner-up to Patrice Bergeron for the award in 2011-12.

His Season so Far: Though the Blues have been riddled with injuries in the early going, they've managed to stay close to the top of the tough Central Division with a 13-6-1 record. 

Backes contributes in the faceoff circle, where he wins 52.3 percent of his draws, and by eating up an average of 1:51 a game on the league's fifth-best penalty kill.

Where He Stands: Normally a solid plus-minus player, Backes is a minus-1 so far this season. Still, he has a reputation for being tough to play against, and his team has been consistently strong in the regular season for the past four years.

Backes is in the second tier of the group that gets Selke consideration by the hockey writers every year. Assuming his possession numbers improve as the Blues get healthier, we'll see his name on plenty of ballots again this season.

6. Max Pacioretty: Montreal Canadiens

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Pedigree: Left wing Max Pacioretty was drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007. Now in his eighth NHL season, he was named team captain before the new season began.

Pacioretty received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey in 2011-12, returning to score 33 goals after overcoming a career-threatening injury the previous season, when he was checked into a stanchion near the Canadiens bench by Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, per the league's official site.

He finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting in 2014-15.

His Season so Far: After tying for the league lead with a plus-38 last season, Pacioretty currently ranks third among NHL forwards with a plus-10 through 20 games in 2015-16.

With 19 points, he's leading the juggernaut Canadiens in scoring and is on track for a career year offensively, as well as playing a strong defensive game. Pacioretty averages 1:26 per game on the penalty kill and has scored one shorthanded goal.

Where He Stands: The Selke hasn't been awarded to a winger since Jere Lehtinen of the Dallas Stars picked up his third trophy back in 2002-03. It will be tough for Pacioretty to change the habits of the voters, but he should finish on par with last year's sixth-place rank.

5. Pavel Datsyuk: Detroit Red Wings

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Pedigree: Center Pavel Datsyuk was drafted 171st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 1998—one year after Connor McDavid was born. In 14 NHL seasons, Datsyuk has won four Lady Byng Trophies and three Selke Trophies.

His most recent Selke win came in 2009-10. He finished fifth in voting last season.

Datsyuk won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008.

His Season so Far: Datsyuk has played just four games so far after a late start because of offseason ankle surgery. He has just one assist but is playing a solid 19:20 per game and is delivering a 54 percent success rate in the faceoff circle.

Over the years, Mike Babcock gradually eased Datsyuk out of Detroit's penalty-killing rotation. New coach Jeff Blashill has followed suit.

Where He Stands: His best hockey may be behind him, but Datsyuk's only one Selke trophy away from tying Bob Gainey with four wins—and his legacy as one of the best two-way forwards ever to play the game is arguably as strong as Gainey's.

Unless he defies this odds with a turn-back-time season the rest of the way, Datsyuk will earn sentimental votes among many writers' top five candidates but will probably fall short of challenging for the win.

4. Nicklas Backstrom: Washington Capitals

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Pedigree: Center Nicklas Backstrom was drafted fourth overall by the Washington Capitals in 2006. He joined the NHL as a 19-year-old and is now in his ninth season.

Backstrom was runner-up for the Calder Trophy in his rookie season and has received Selke votes four times in his career but has never finished higher than 10th in the voting.

His Season So Far: Backstrom missed the first 10 days of the new season because of offseason hip surgery, but he has been in fine form since returning to the ice. He's putting up a point a game, and his Capitals are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

On November 17, Patrick Holden of Russian Machine Never Breaks made his case for Backstrom as a strong Selke candidate this season, citing strong advanced-stat numbers, especially in shots on goal against and shot attempts against.

Backstrom plays in all situations, including averaging 1:09 a game on Washington's fourth-ranked penalty kill.

Where He Stands: The soft-spoken Backstrom has flown under the radar for years despite frequently teaming up with one of the NHL's most high-profile players in Alex Ovechkin.

Before the season started, Backstrom was named the NHL's most underrated player in a poll of NHL players by Yahoo's Puck Daddy. As he starts to get recognition from his peers, the media should follow suit and throw some Selke votes his way this season.

3. Patrice Bergeron: Boston Bruins

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Pedigree: Center Patrice Bergeron was drafted 45th overall in 2003 by the Boston Bruins.

He's the reigning Selke Trophy winner and has received the award three times in total. Bergeron has finished in the top five in Selke voting for the past six seasons. He also won the King Clancy Trophy for leadership and off-ice contributions in 2013.

Begeron won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.

His Season so Far: Bergeron's Boston Bruins are having an up-and-down season so far and currently sit on the wrong side of the Eastern Conference playoff line, but their top center remains as reliable as ever.

After leading the league with a 60.2 percent faceoff success rate last season, Bergeron is delivering at a lower rate of 55.6 percent this year, but that's still good enough for a top-five ranking among the league's busiest centermen (more than 300 faceoffs so far this season).

He's also one of the top penalty-killing forwards in the league, averaging 2:40 of ice time shorthanded per game.

Where He Stands: Bergeron remains one of the league's elite defensive forwards, but a slight dip in his stats and another subpar season for the Bruins could see him knocked from top spot in the voting next June.

Still just 30 years old, voters may be expecting he has at least one more superlative season to come. Then, he'll earn the right to tie Bob Gainey for the most Selkes in NHL history.

2. Jonathan Toews: Chicago Blackhawks

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Pedigree: Center Jonathan Toews was drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006.

At this point, it seems amazing Toews was chosen after defenseman Erik Johnson (first overall to St. Louis) and center Jordan Staal (second overall to Pittsburgh). Toews has been captain of the Blackhawks since 2008 and has led his team to three Stanley Cups—in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player in 2010 and won the Selke Trophy in 2012-13. He has finished no lower than sixth in Selke voting every season since 2010.

His Season So Far: The Blackhawks underwent significant offseason changes, but Toews remains as steady as ever. His 12 points and plus-three rating are less than spectacular, but Toews is killing it in the faceoff circle, with a league-leading success rate of 60.8 percent that's even better than Bergeron's great number from last season.

Despite all the new faces in the lineup, Chicago is rounding into form, with a 5-2-2 record so far in November heading into Saturday's game against the Vancouver Canucks. 

Where He Stands: The Hawks are moving up the standings and should have every chance to defend their Stanley Cup next spring.

If Chicago climbs close to the top of the Central before season's end, Toews' numbers will be reflective of his team's success. In that case, he'll have a good shot at challenging for a second Selke Trophy.

1. Anze Kopitar: Los Angeles Kings

Harry How/Getty Images

Pedigree: Center Anze Kopitar was drafted 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2005 and is now in his 10th NHL season. He finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie year and has been named among the top four candidates for the Selke for the past three seasons. His best showing was a second-place finish behind Patrice Bergeron in 2013-14.

Though he has yet to collect an individual award, Kopitar won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and 2014.

His Season So Far: After a slow start, the Kings have rebounded nicely from missing the playoffs in 2014-15. Los Angeles is 7-3-0 in the last 10 games and perched comfortably in first place in the Pacific Division.

Kopitar has just seven points but is a solid plus-seven. He leads all Kings forwards in ice time at 19:32 per game, including an average of 2:29 on the penalty kill. He's also solid on the dot, with a 52.6 percent success rate.

Where He Stands: If Selke voters continue give top marks to their perennial favorites again this season, Kopitar holds the edge over Toews and Bergeron so far thanks to his team's more successful start.

Kopitar's also the highest-profile Selke candidate who has yet to win the award. If the Kings stay hot all season and charge into the playoffs with momentum, he'll be a tough candidate to ignore.

All stats and award information courtesy of NHL.com and Hockey Reference, current through November 19.